Nick Cioffi had fallen in love with his fastball at Towson. He wanted to throw hard. He wanted to overpower batters.

In high school at Averill Park, he relied more on finesse — his coach saying he was always a pitcher, not just a thrower — but as he gained more velocity, it came with a desire to change what had always worked for him.

"The point in Division I at that level (to overpower guys) is if you're throwing 94-95," said Cioffi, who threw around 88-90 miles per hour with the Tigers. "I threw the fastball a lot and I kind of lost the sharp slider that I had. It may have felt like at times I was trying to overpower guys."

As a result Cioffi struggled at Towson. He had a 6.87 earned-run average primarily out of the bullpen as a freshman. As a sophomore reliever, it was only marginally better. His junior season was spent rehabbing from a thumb injury, and in 2015 he had an ERA over seven in an undefined role.

But now with the Albany Dutchmen, a collegiate summer league, Cioffi has begun to gain back what he lacked at Towson. And after deciding to transfer to Division II Saint Rose in Albany, he's looking to show he can still play at the next level.

"I definitely think there's a chance (that he plays professionally)," said lifelong mentor and Saint Rose pitching coach Wayne Jones. "I think that he only continues to get better. He hasn't regressed since he was 13 years old. He's just starting to reach his potential."

In high school, Averill Park baseball coach Mike Conroy said Cioffi set himself apart in the way that he prepared and built up his strength. He saw separate pitching coaches outside of school. He trained on his own time. He went running every time after he pitched.

A lot of the younger players that Conroy has seen think the process of high school to college to professional baseball is a natural one. Cioffi, he said, understood what went into that process better than anyone.

Even so, Conroy said Cioffi vented his frustrations to him about his role with Towson.

"When you get to college, particularly at that level of college, you're the stud from your high school team," Conroy said, "but that doesn't necessarily mean you're going to be a regular starter in the rotation when you get to Division I Towson."

After his final season at Towson, he approached head coach Mike Gottlieb and asked for his release for his final year of eligibility. He had already graduated, and wanted to pursue graduate school at a place that made more sense financially.

So he chose Saint Rose, a college where he could live in his hometown and be a big fish in a much smaller pond. He takes the mound on Saint Rose's Bob Bellizzi field every fifth day this summer for the Dutchmen. His friends come out for every home start.

It's a luxury that he rarely experienced at Towson, but will get on a more consistent basis as he continues a career he hopes extends past the next year.

"Out of high school, I was really caught up in the Division I, Division II, Division III atmosphere," Cioffi said. "And as you go through, especially in summer ball, you see guys in Division II or Division III that are just as good as Division I players, and they're getting drafted just as high. So it's more about what you do and how you progress compared to where you are."

The summer with the Dutchmen has been nothing but positive for Cioffi. He started the first game of the season, and went seven innings, longer than manager Nick Davey had anticipated. He struck out eight and allowed just one run. He dominated.

For the summer he has a 1-1 record with a 3.00 ERA. He's learning from his teammates, trying to mirror John Reid and the way he incorporates his hips in his pitching motion. He likes to have a conversation each day where he learns something. He's a student of the game.

He says he doesn't know what the future holds. He thinks he could play professionally — even if it's just one year in the minors, he says — but he won't say it's the be-all and end-all of his baseball career.

His start in Albany, though, has given reason for optimism in a situation that might have lacked it in seasons past.

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"Every start I feel like I'm progressing," Cioffi said. "Each start my goal is to be better than the last one and try to build on each one. It's all about just trying to make improvements."